Chapter VI Contents: [ VI.1 L&S Student Academic Affairs ] [ VI.2 L&S SAA Staff ] [ VI.3 Academic Advancement Program ] [ VI.4 L&S Advising Service ] [ VI.5 Bradley Learning Community ] [ VI.6 Cross-College Advising Service ] [ VI.7 Letters and Science Career Services ] [ VI.8 S.O.A.R. ] [ VI.9 Student Records ] [ VI.10 Degree Audit Reporting System ] [ VI.11 Academic Misconduct ] [ VI.12 Accommodation of Religious Belief ] [ VI.13 Policy & Guidelines on Nondiscrimination ] [ VI.14 Summary Blocks/Final Exams ] [ VI.15 Multi-Section Courses ] [ VI.16 Chadbourne Residential College ] [ VI.17 Deleted Section] [ VI.18 First-Year Interest Groups ] [ VI.19 Pathways to Excellence Programs and Services ] [ VI.20 African American Student Academic Services ] [ VI.21 American Indian Student Academic Services ] [ VI.22 Chicano/a Student Academic Services ] [ VI.23 Southeast Asian American Student Academic Services] [ VI.24 Summer Collegiate Experience ] [ VI.25 Undergraduate Research Scholars ] [ VI.26 Grading Policies ] [ VI.27 The Grading System ] [ VI.28 Grade Change Procedure ] [ VI.29 Student Appeals of Grading ] [ VI.30 Grade Disputes ] [ VI.31 Distinction: in the Major, in the Thesis ] [ VI.32 Scholarships ] [ VI.33 Major Declaration Form ]

• Two evening examination periods have been established for daytime classes that require evening mid-term examinations.  The first period is to accommodate examinations of 90 minutes and is scheduled from 5:30-7:00 p.m.  Examinations can begin any time before or during this period as long as they end no later than 7:00 p.m.  The second period begins at 7:15 p.m.  and will accommodate longer exams.  Exceptions to this general policy may be authorized by the Academic Vice Chancellor.  A request for an exception should first receive your respective dean's recommendation, and then be forwarded to the Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs for final decision.
• Instructors of daytime courses who plan to give evening mid-term examinations must footnote such intentions in the Timetable so students will be aware of potential conflicts with evening courses or other commitments.  Whenever possible, times and/or days of evening examinations should also be footnoted.  
• Instructors who schedule evening examinations should make every possible effort to accommodate students with unavoidable conflicts.
• In courses where conflicts with evening examinations have been a problem, classes should be scheduled to end before 7:00 p.m. or to begin at 7:15 p.m. or later to minimize potential conflicts with evening examinations.

On 5 November 2001, the Faculty Senate approved an amendment to this policy (available as Faculty Document 1585a) to clarify instructor responsibilities regarding conflicts between evening classes and evening exam hours for daytime classes:

"It is the instructor's responsibility to assure that all students with conflicts between daytime courses with evening exams and evening courses are treated fairly and without penalty, If a scheduling conflict exists between the evening exam of a daytime course and a regularly scheduled evening course, then the evening course takes precedence over the exam."

• The academic semester consists of an advising and a registration period, a regularly scheduled instructional period, and an eight-day summary period. During the instructional period, there is an advising period and registration occurs for the next semester. The first day of the summary period is for individual study and review, and no classes or exams are to be scheduled then. The last seven days are prescheduled to include one two-hour summary block for each course of two or more credits. This two-hour block shall be used for an examination or for other instructional activities as deemed appropriate by the instructor and as approved by the instructional unit offering the course. 
• Final examinations or other summary period activities cannot be scheduled during the two weeks preceding the summary period. 
• Take-home final examinations are due at the scheduled two-hour block.
• The summary period block schedule must be published in the Timetable and must be adhered to by all faculty. The Registrar's Office is authorized to prepare the summary period block schedule without submitting it to the faculty for approval, except that any college or school may prepare its own summary block schedule.
• The time of a two-hour block for a class and/or the due date for a take-home examination may be changed only with the prior approval of the Associate Dean for Student Academic Affairs. Such changes are rare. Where a student has more than two (that is, three or more) summary blocks scheduled within a period of 24 hours, the instructor may, within guidelines adopted by the College faculty, reschedule a final exam for that individual student to avoid hardship. Students must notify the course instructor(s) within the first three weeks of the semester of the specific examination conflict.Rescheduled summary blocks shall be of the same general nature and quality as the activities of the regular two-hour summary block.
• Special hours within the prescribed summary period shall be assigned by the Registrar's Office, in consultation with the Associate Dean, for combined Summary Periods in multiple-section courses that have no common meeting hour (see the Handbook VI.15 for additional information about multi-section courses).
• Undergraduate seminar courses, independent study, and directed study courses are exempted from the above rules. Also, the rules apply only to courses numbered 699 or below.
• Course grade sheets must be completed by each instructor and sent to the Registrar's Office within four calendar days (96 hours) from the date and hour of the two-hour block scheduled during the summary period.

The Provost has issued period reminders to instructors about the need to adhere to these policies. The most recent reminder is available through the Provost's website, at http://www.provost.wisc.edu/memos/finex.html , which includes a link to relevant Faculty Legislation (http://www.secfac.wisc.edu/governance/legislation/Pages100-299.htm#105) upon which L&S has based the discussion above.

Last reviewed: August 16, 2006.